


"How Soon Is Later?"

by iknowanicegirl, nicapark (iknowanicegirl)



Category: GOT7
Genre: Alternate Universe - Boy Band, Alternate Universe - Idols, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Comfort/Angst, Contract Expiration, Friendship, GOT7 - Freeform, Idol Life, JB best leader, M/M, OT7, Park Jinyoung-Centric (GOT7), Seven Or Never, Seven Or Nothing, but focus more on OT7, there's markjin
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-02
Updated: 2021-02-02
Packaged: 2021-03-13 11:14:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,191
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29152590
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/iknowanicegirl/pseuds/iknowanicegirl, https://archiveofourown.org/users/iknowanicegirl/pseuds/nicapark
Summary: Jinyoung has never thought of it.Back in their last vlive as a group, after they decided to take on new paths, separately. When Yugyeom and Youngjae waved at their fans, their ahgases, while Jackson was telling them that there's nothing to worry about. When Jaebeom assured them that they are not going anywhere. When Mark said that it's not an ending, but a new beginning and that they're all in it for the long ride. And when Bambam said those words, "See you later. Seven or never."Jinyoung has never thought of it.But now... four years after they said those words... after they gave that promise... Jinyoung starts to think.Maybe... he should've asked them then.He should've asked them... how soon is later?
Relationships: Park Jinyoung/Mark Tuan
Comments: 6
Kudos: 29





	"How Soon Is Later?"

**Author's Note:**

> I just needed to write this. In twitter, I keep saying that we need to be strong and patient in waiting for the seven of them to come back. I keep saying that but sometimes... thoughts keep resurfacing, right?
> 
> I just felt like I need to let all these thoughts out and what better way to do it but by writing. This is fictional, yes. But it has relation to what's happening in real life too. This story will revolve around what happens after they moved on separately. If you're sensitive about this, you can skip :) 
> 
>   
> note: the whole story is relayed in Jinyoung's pov. italicized texts are flashbacks.

> _"Is it on already?"_
> 
> _They heard Jaebeom ask while they all gather around a small couch which was somehow able to accomodate seven adult sized humans. Jinyoung scoots a bit more and almost making himself one with the wall adjacent to the side of his part of the couch, to make space for Yugyeom who was the last one to change into his comfy clothes, thus also the last one to join the rest of them. They've just finished filming their backstage interview for their acceptance of the **Best Album** award in the 35th Golden Disc Awards. _ _They're all inside their assigned waiting room, only their managers with them, when they decided to open vlive and meet with their ahgases._
> 
> _"Not yet. I'm just waiting for you guys. Should I turn it on now?" Bambam, who has been officially ~~sort of~~ in charge for the camera turns to them to see if they're all ready. The Thai then angles the phone again to make sure that all seven of them fits inside the frame._
> 
> _"Alright-"_
> 
> _"Noo, wait!" Jackson suddenly says, interrupting Jaebeom. "Let me get my cap first." Then the Chinese stands up to get his cap. He was back in the couch in a couple of seconds and when he sat, their eyes met. Jackson then adjusts his cap, tucking his hair in it. But Jinyoung knows it's not his hair he's trying to hide... it's something else._
> 
> _Heaving a sigh, Jaebeom scans them all again, his narrow eyes checking each one of them before asking, "Ready?" and Jinyoung asked himself why it felt different hearing that now. Nevertheless, when the leader's eyes crossed his, he smiled that kind of smile he could muster, accompanying it with a small nod._
> 
> _"Okay, Bam-"_
> 
> _"Wait!" Jaebeom was yet again interrupted, this time by the maknae. They all turned to Yugyeom who is sitting just beside him. "Can we do 'jjai' first before we start?"_
> 
> _They exchanged glances, before Mark held his hand out in the center first. The rest did follow, Jaebeom being the last one to put his hand on top of theirs. "G-O-T seven jjai!" Jinyoung might have seen a slight glisten in the leader's eyes and how the older said it might not be as powerful as before but... Jinyoung didn't say anything. Bambam turns on the vlive and in a few seconds, many ahgases joined them, flooding the comments._
> 
> _Throughout the live, Jinyoung sits back and watched his members create the usual chaos: Jackson bickering with both Yugyeom and Bambam; Jaebeom arguing with those ahgases who threw hate on mint choco; and Mark making Bambam rap but dismisses him right when the younger was about to get on with his 'famous' Thai rap. Youngjae was the one reading comments and Jinyoung peeks on the phone every once in a while, enough to see certain comments which the younger purposely avoided reading to not kill the mood._
> 
> _Towards the end of their vlive, each of the members said their messages._
> 
> _"Got7 forever." Yugyeom says. "Igot7 forever." and Youngjae supplies._
> 
> _"There's nothing to worry about, our ahgases. Trust us." says Jackson and Jaebeom continues with, "We're not going anywhere. Don't worry."_
> 
> _Mark then said, "This is not an ending. This is a new beginning." The older's eyes casted on him as he added, "The seven of us... we are all in it for the long ride."_
> 
> _Jinyoung was still staring at the brunet when Bambam called on him. "Hyung? What do you want to say to ahgases?" The younger was waiting, as well as the others. Pursing his lips to form a somewhat you can call a smile, Jinyoung stares at the phone's camera. "Thank you, our ahgases. I love you."_
> 
> _That message of his earned some teasing noises from Yugyeom and even Jackson but Jinyoung didn't answer to any of it. It was Bambam's turn to say something to their fans. It was very rare for the Thai to say something in a serious note. And this is one of those rare times. "See you later, our ahgases. Seven or never."_
> 
> _Jinyoung didn't think about it when he heard Bambam say that then. Later... how soon is that? If only he knew how things will turn from that point, maybe he would've asked._

"Jinyoung oppa!" A group of fans greets him as he passed them by. Each of them gave him a letter, two of them handed him flowers. When he took these, the girls were all smiling, bowing at him. "Welcome back! We missed you, oppa!"

Jinyoung nods again and says thanks, before turning to a different group. He just got discharged from his military service training and his fans were there to welcome him back. Well, _some_ of his fans were there. There were around fifteen fans waiting for him outside the camp. It's less compared to how many fans were there to send him off two years ago. Well, it's not as if he is used to having a huge crowd welcoming him , after all whenever they leave the country, not much of a big crowd sends them off too. 

Jinyoung felt a hand in the small of his back, and he looked back to see his manager guiding him towards the car which was waiting on the side of the road. Jinyoung gives his fans one last wave and bow before turning again to his manager. He follows him until they got inside.

Buckling his seatbelt, Jinyoung stared at his reflection in the rearview mirror. "I thought I looked terrible. Since when did I have my hair this short?"

"More than ten years ago?" His manager answered, getting his bag from him as well as his fans' gifts and putting them all in the back. "But your hair when you guys debuted was way worse. Your hair looks a bit better compared to it, don't worry."

Jinyoung chose to smile at this. "Thanks, hyung." He stared for a bit longer. "And I am glad that you're still my manager." The forty year old manager smiled at him and Jinyoung really meant what he said. He is glad to have at least one thing constant in his life after everything that had happened.

* * *

After a short lunch, him and his manager went on their way to JN Entertainment. Woon Joon-hyung, the company's CEO asked for him and they're set to meet for a short talk. Jinyoung anticipated what their talk is going to be about and as soon as he entered the CEO's office, Jinyoung only confirmed his guess.

"I am not sure." Jinyoung says when he was asked about his plans. "If I'd be honest... I actually don't have any, as of now."

As expected, that kind of response is not really what Woon Joon-hyung was meaning to hear from him, Jinyoung knows. He could see it in the way the older pursed his lips, just staring at him. He appreciates how the CEO seemed to have held his tongue, probably saving his words for the time when his patience of him had really ran out. Jinyoung isn't sure. Although he wants to say something, he just had to be honest. After serving for two years in the military, Jinyoung had done nothing near to thinking about his next steps once he got discharged. He hadn't really thought of it... and maybe if he'll be more honest, he'd admit to not even trying to think about it. 

The CEO then asked him if he wants to keep on acting, Jinyoung answers with, _It's not like I have other things to do, right?_ And to this, he was asked whether the company should line him up for acting projects, look into scripts and same sorts. 

And maybe because Jinyoung is still not in his right mind to go and decide on anything, he just tells them that he'll talk about it with his manager and will let them know then.

The meeting ended after half an hour but when he excused himself to leave, the staff members told him that they should post something for his comeback. The staffsasked him to take some selfies and Jinyoung did it almost hastily, snapping about four selfies and handing the phone back to one of the staff members.

"What do you want us to write in the post?" they asked.

Jinyoung shrugged. "I'm sure you can think of something good." After giving them a brief smile and nod, he headed out.

When they were inside the car, his manager showed him what the staff had posted. They picked two out of the four selfies he took, and they're fine in Jinyoung's opinion. The caption was too: _After two years, Our Actor Park is back. Jinyoung missed ahgases_. -it said. 

Under the post, there were more than one thousand comments already and it grows fast that Jinyoung wasn't able to follow up to what number it reached. And the likes too. 

"Will you reply to them?" His manager asked from beside him and he sees that the older was checking the post too. 

Jinyoung shrugged. "They're too many. I won't be able to reply to all of them."

"Not all of them, but at least to _some_ of them?" The older insists.

Jinyoung sighs, half defeated, and half understanding the point also. Looking back at his phone, Jinyoung replies to random comments. He was replying to the tenth ~~or was it eleventh? he lost count~~ comment when he received a direct message. When he read who it's from, Jinyoung's fingers froze for a second... two, three...

Another _ting_ brought him back. There are two unread messages now. Jinyoung breathes in before clicking it open. 

_[Welcome back, our actor Park. It's been a while. Are you too busy today? Or do you have time to spare?]  
[Can we go and meet? For good times' sake?]_

Jinyoung spent about a minute reading the messages. He then turned to his manager and asked, "Do I have other schedules for today, hyung?" When his manager said that there's none left for the day, Jinyoung typed in a reply to the older's message. 

_[I'm free to meet today today, hyung. Just tell me where.]_

When the older replied to him, he asked the driver if they could drop him off at the place where they agreed to meet. Jinyoung feels nervous for a reason. He tries to tell himself that there's nothing to be nervous of. He's meeting someone who he has been close with for a good number of years already. It's not like he's meeting with a stranger. It's Jaebeom.

* * *

Jinyoung arrived first in this coffee shop in Jaebeom's neighborhood. He just texted the older when he arrived so he needs to do a little waiting. It was not more than five minutes after when he finally saw Jaebeom walking inside the cafe. He's wearing the usual, baggy shirt and baggy pants, and of course, his bucket hat. 

This guy really haven't changed.

They've known each other for almost fifteen years. Even before there was GOT7, there was JJ Project.

> _"But this is better, right?"_
> 
> _Jinyoung asked his Jaebeom hyung as they both sit on the floor of the dance practice room. They feel tired after spending the last thirty minutes dancing like crazy boys to **Bounce** and **Hook**. It was really tiring but neither of them cared and they were just having the time of their lives._
> 
> _Just an hour ago, the two of them were called for a meeting with Park Jinyoung pd-nim. And that's when they were told that they're going to redebut. After quite a long rest, they'll be having a comeback. But this time, it's not only the two of them. Five more guys were added and they'll all debut as 7. Jinyoung isn't quite sure what to feel from it. They both have long prayed to be given a chance to have another comeback, but they've always imagined having that second chance as JJ Project, only the two of them. But now... there will be seven. They'll debut as the new boy group of JYPE. Jinyoung didn't imagine that would happen, and he guessed from Jaebeom's initial reaction back in the meeting room, that this isn't what the older was imagining too. yet, it is what is set to happen._
> 
> _It will be a huge change and will require a huge adjustment too from them both. With Jinyoung not being the maknae anymore and Jaebeom having to lead a whole group now. Is this how it feels to be excited, thrilled, scared and anxious all at the very same time? Because Jinyoung surely feels like it._
> 
> _Jaebeom stared at him for a short while, eyes sincere as he smiled at him. "It is. This will be for the better, Jinyoung-ah."_

"Hey." Jaebeom greets him as he reached the table he's seated on. "You're really back." But then the older was looking at somewhere above his eyes. "And your hair-"

"Don't even start with it, Im Jaebeom." And that remark of his made the older laugh as he sits down on the empty seat before him.

After they ordered drinks, they started to talk about how the past two years have been. Unlike him, Jaebeom had served in the military earlier. After their contract ended and about three months, Jaebeom had decided to serve his mandatory military training. When he got discharged, Jaebeom signed under the same company Yugyeom has signed. He debuted as a solo artist but just seven months ago, him and Yugyeom released an album as a duo. 

Jaebeom talks about all of it almost animatedly. Jinyoung enjoys seeing the older's smile beaming with fulfilment and pride. And he should've expected it maybe, as soon as the older mentioned Yugyeom's name. Jaebeom was soon asking about it.

"He asks me almost regularly... though it became more often as your service was approaching its end." Jaebeom regards him with seemingly cautious eyes, as if gauging what his reaction would be, even though he's not yet done talking. "He's been asking if it will now be possible. All of us... all seven of us, joining together as a group again. Since you're discharged now, and we're all complete." Jinyoung repeats the word _complete_ in his mind. "Do you think we can make it happen?"

It might've taken a bit too long for Jinyoung to respond. It's not because he wants to keep Jaebeom waiting. It's just that, his mind can't seem to grasp the right words which he should say as an answer. All he's able to do is to stare at his coffee as if hoping that an answer would come from it.

Instead, Jaebeom was the one who's saying something again.

"At first... I doubted myself." The older says. "I doubted if it's just because I feel guilty, that's why I wanted it so bad. Why I wanted so bad for the seven of us to come back as a group again."

Jinyoung still isn't able to say anything.

"But the more I think about it, I realize that it's not just guilt. Or maybe it wasn't even that." Jaebeom stares at him through those eyes which had always been sincere. "It's only because I miss you guys. I miss my people. I miss us."

> _The seven of them are gathered around the table, all silent, not even one having the guts to say something first._
> 
> _~We can't renew all seven of you. But we're willing to do negotiations so some of you could stay.~ These words were the only words which left a mark in Jinyoung's mind. He actually had lost count as to how many times they were called for a meeting in the company regarding the expiration of their contract. All seven of them expressed the willingness to renew their contract despite of the kind of treatment they've been receiving for the past couple of years under the agency. Yet, they're all willing to stay, if that means staying together as seven._
> 
> _"You can all stay." Jaebeom finally talks, breaking the silence. Jinyoung tries to catch those eyes but they briefly crossed his. "You can all renew your contracts and stay as-"_
> 
> _"As what, hyung?" Jackson asks back. "That man said it himself! We can't stay as seven."_
> 
> _"Even not as seven." Jaebeom says, but Jinyoung could see how those eyes glistened. "At least the four of you could stay. As for Bambam and Mark, pd-nim said the company is willing to negotiate. Both parties can make a compromise so they wouldn't need to leave."_
> 
> _At that moment, no one from the rest of them answered to that. They all heard what their leader said, loud and clear. But maybe none of them wants to accept his words. Jinyoung clenches his hands as he sees Jaebeom running his hand on his hair frustratedly. As the older turned his back, Jinyoung thought he'd seen his hand brushing the side of his face. Jinyoung watches as Jaebeom turned and faced the white wall, resting his hands on his hips, his shoulders moving up and down as he breathed in and out. Jinyoung clenched his hands tighter as he starts to think what Jaebeom feels right now; and how heavy all this weighs on him. JYP refused to let them all renew their contracts, but the inhuman person that he is even told outright that he's not letting Jaebeom renew his. And that's the turning point of all this. This is why all of them looks like the darkest shadows in the earth had casted over them._
> 
> _Jinyoung clenched his hands until his fingernails were dugging on his palm and it had hurt him. Heaving a deep sigh, he let his voice be heard._
> 
> _"I refuse to stay." Jinyoung says and it got the attention of all the members. When Jaebeom turned, Jinyoung was already staring at him. "I'm not renewing my contract here, hyung."_
> 
> _He saw how Jaebeom's eyes have gone huge. "Jinyoung? What are you saying? Are you crazy?"_
> 
> _"No I am not." Jinyoung tells him. "I am not crazy enough to turn my back on our group, hyung. I hope you aren't too."_
> 
> _Jinyoung knows why Jaebeom looks so disapproving of his decision. Among the seven of them, he was the first one JYP had talked to, in terms of renewing his contract. They had plans for him, and he would lie if he says they weren't good for him. But like what he said, he isn't one to turn his back on his group just for his own sake._
> 
> _"Jinyoung-"_
> 
> _"You can't change my mind on this, hyung. If we're not gonna stay here as seven, then I'm not staying here at all. If you leave, I will leave too."_
> 
> _Nothing was heard from the others. But when Jinyoung met those brown eyes, staring at him intently... showing nothing near to disapproval, Jinyoung feels a lot more certain. The way the brunet is looking at him, it was surprisingly enough to push him to say the rest of his words._
> 
> _"Didn't we always say it's seven or nothing? Seven or never? And now, you're telling us we should stay and let you leave? I don't say things which I don't mean, hyung. If I say it's seven or never then that is how it's going to be. So no, I am not staying here unless we all do."_
> 
> _Slowly, Jinyoung sees how the others smiles at him. Bambam says, "Seven or never." And the others repeat it too. They all huddled together, surrounding Jaebeom. And as their leader put his arms around them as well, they hear him say, "Seven or never."_

“You won’t let yourself rot in here for the next couple of days, right?”

His manager asks this when Jinyoung was about to get off the car. After their meeting at the coffee shop just a while ago, when Jinyoung walks his way out, with Jaebeom walking alongside him, he saw his manager going out of the car which was parked right across the street. It seemed that his manager and driver waited for him to finish his _catching up_ with Jaebeom. When his manager jogged to their place, he was greeted by Jaebeom since they knew each other from the agency. Jaebeom was also happy to see that his manager stayed with him throughout the years. After a short exchange of _how are you's_ and _it's all been well_ , Jaebeom bid goodbye and walked his way back to his apartment.

Jinyoung smooths the creases in his shirt before glancing back at his manager's waiting eyes. "Although I don't want to worry you by saying _no_ , it's also not as if I have other places to go to, or other things to do."

"You're acting like you're unemployed. You're still under a contract."

"Yet, I have no schedules for work, right?"

His manager heaves a short but deep sigh. "Which is why you should've talked more responsibly back in the meeting earlier."

Jinyoung shrugs. "I did say I'll reconsider." This response didn't erase the worrisome look his manager has. "And if ever I decide on something, and maybe before I even do, I will be contacting you first, hyung. Alright?"

Somehow, that did lessen the amount of worry etched on the older's face. Sighing, he heard something from the latter. "Alright."

Jinyoung smiles at this. "Alright?" And smiles some more.

Maybe even though he's already thirty almost, his charm has some sort of an effect to his manager that's why he's seeing the older smiling a bit now. His brows creased immediately though upon noticing that his reaction to his _aegyo_ made him smile even wider. "Alright, I said." His manager says, trying to sound serious. "Just get it in already. If you need more groceries than I already bought, call me. If you need your laundry done, call me. If you need to deal with something, anything... just call me, okay?"

Jinyoung pouted at this. "Last time I checked, you're my manager not my personal assistant or helper."

"I am your manager. I can manage things for you. You've been in the military for two years. I missed doing my job, so let me."

This erased his pout. Jinyoung can't deny how warm it made him feel, hearing that. But right now all he could offer is a smile. "Thanks, hyung." 

Tapping his shoulder, his manager sends him inside the building again, watched him until he walked to the entrance, and only closed the car's window when he waved one last time.

Once he sets foot inside his unit, Jinyoung made necessary phone calls. He called his mom and they all talked over a video call since his mom insisted on seeing him while they talk. The call lasted for an hour and a half until his mom reminded him of eating and asked if he has something to eat. Jinyoung tells her that he does have some food since his manager was kind enough to fill his fridge with food. His mom says that she'll thank his manager later for always looking after him. 

When the call ended, Jinyoung ate his dinner and washed up and changed into his night clothes. He was sitting on his bed when he received a text message. When he checked, he saw that it was from Jaebeom. The older did ask if he could get it from him back at the cafe this afternoon. Seeing no problem about it, Jinyoung gave it and they exchanged numbers. He clicked on the message open. 

_[Thanks for seeing me again, Jinyoung.]  
[And about what I said, I hope you would think about it. I'm hoping for a positive response.]_

Jinyoung was not replying yet when another message came in.

_[One last thing, I hope we could all meet very soon, too. Not just you and me but the others too.]  
[Good night Jinyoung!]_

And for someone who rarely uses emojis, Jinyoung didn't expect he would see one from the older's text. But there it was... a smiling and a moon emoji with stars probably for that _good night_ he's wishing him. Jinyoung heaves a sigh, rereading the text messages for the second time, thinking if he should reply or not. To be polite and not be rude, Jinyoung knows he should. And maybe he really should since this guy is no stranger, but... 

With another sigh, Jinyoung did choose to reply. He texts him _[Goodnight, hyung.]_ with no emojis, and not saying anything on any of his other messages except the last one. His heart has gotten heavier than it previously was. But then again, when did his heart ever feel light since... since... Jinyoung doesn't know what to say. But his mind takes him back to the past yet again.

> _"It's just for two years."_
> 
> _This is what he hears from Jaebeom. The older asked for them to meet and Jinyoung was willing enough to meet him at this coffee shop near his place. It's been a while since he last talked with the older. Yet, this is what he'll hear from him? Almost a week of no nothings, and this is what Jaebeom would be telling him? That he plans to push through his mandatory military service? This is his plan?_
> 
> _Jinyoung stares at the older seated across him. He stares at him, hard, with his eyes conveying the emotions he tries to keep at bay. Jaebeom didn't seem to be fazed by it, though. He watched as the older stirred his coffee as he went on with the rest of his words._
> 
> _"I figured it will be a good timing." Jinyoung repeats the last two words in his mind. "Since the guys are planning to focus on their solo careers, and since our group is in hiatus, the timing is good for me to get on with this. It's only for two short years anyway... it wouldn't be bad."_
> 
>   
>  _Jinyoung wants so bad to argue that two years is not short as Jaebeom is telling him. How could two years be that short, when just a week of not talking to the other members felt like a long time of torture for him? Since the article has been dropped- the article which says that they already left JYPE, meeting with the members had become seldom. They did not plan it to be like that, it just happened as it is. The seven of them left and it had become a trending topic with netizens saying they really held onto their words- 'seven or never'. And Jinyoung would have been proud. He would have been if not for the kind of eyes the members had when they met for a few times to talk about their next step. Those eyes which were once filled with certitude when they promised each other that they will stick together... they changed bit by bit as days went by._
> 
> _It started with Youngjae, when he told them that he was in talks with Sublime, then Jackson saying that he was contacted by the same agency too although the latter said that he was planning to focus more on his own label Team Wang. And then Yugyeom decided to tell them about AOMG and how we was offered to sign a contract with them. Then Bambam talked about going back to Thailand and Jackson also considering going back to China. The talk was going to all sorts of direction, each talking about their own plan and Jinyoung finds himself getting lost in the conversation. They were here to talk about their plan, but Jinyoung thought it would be their plan as a 'group', not as an individual artist. He starts to feel sick thinking about it. When they left the company, he really wasn't considering pursuing a solo career so he thought all the members weren't too. He was actually hoping that they'll think of a way to stay as seven, and keep performing as seven. That's what he meant when he said 'seven or never'. This is not what he wants._
> 
>   
>  _When Jaebeom drew a deep breath, it had caught his attention. The older was still stirring his coffee after sipping on it. Those eyes went back on him, as if watching his face, trying to see what his reaction is to this news. With another deep breath, the older spoke. "So..."_
> 
> _"Why are you letting go of the group?" Jinyoung wasn't able to stop himself from asking, cutting whatever it is that Jaebeom still has to say. His hold on his cup became tighter as he regards the older with questioning eyes, which he's sure is showing how he feels and right now, Jinyoung feels like he was betrayed. "Why does this seem so easy for you, huh hyung?"_
> 
> _"It is not." But Jaebeom quickly responds with this, eyes not averting from his despite the intensity they hold. "It is not and will never be easy and that is not what I am doing here, Jinyoung."_
> 
> _Jinyoung quirks his eyebrow up, "Oh yeah?" he asked, tone challenging but Jaebeom flicking his tongue only made a disapproving sound._
> 
> _"I just want to support them. Each one of them, in what they want to do. Let's be honest here, Jinyoung. Continuing as a group in our current situation is not as easy as we hoped it would be, not as easy as you wanted it to be. Will it be right for me to tell them to drop these offers given to them and wait until we think of a way to stay together as seven? Isn't that being selfish?"_
> 
> _That last part had struck Jinyoung. 'selfish', he says. Is that what he's being? Selfish? When it's clear to him that he just wants them all to stay together. Is he doing this for himself? If he was selfish.. then he should've stayed back in JYPE. If he was selfish, he wouldn't have thought of the group first. Is he really being selfish?_
> 
> _Jinyoung wants to say a lot of things to Jaebeom. But in the end, all that he was able to say was... "Fine."_
> 
> _From the way Jaebeom stared wordlessly at him, Jinyoung knew the older didn't expect such a short response. Jaebeom knew him too well and he knew that the older was expecting to hear a lot from him. But Jinyoung held his tongue and all his words in._
> 
> _Jinyoung felt like wanting to escape, because he refuses to let Jaebeom see how affected he is by all these. Finishing his drink, Jinyoung wiped his mouth clean with a napkin. As he did, he said his last set of words to the older._
> 
> _"If only I've known that you can't be strong for all seven of us... I would've just stayed, then." Jinyoung clenches his hands on his lap, under the table. "Although I don't want to, hyung.... I think I am starting to regret my decision of leaving."_

Jinyoung knew he didn't mean those words he said. As he got reminded of the pain in Jaebeom's eyes when their stares briefly crossed each other's, Jinyoung regretted saying those words more. But he just left him there, without looking back. Since then, Jinyoung stopped responding to the members' texts in their group chat. He had heard of all the articles which announced Youngjae signing with Sublime, then Jackson follows right after taking Team Wang with him. Then came Yugyeom's article confirming that he had signed with AOMG, and then Bambam's saying that he's going back to Thailand to work on something big. It was quickly followed by Jaebeom's article saying that the older is serving in the military for the next two years. All those articles had hurt Jinyoung. But when the last article dropped, and it talked about Mark's plan of going back to LA, that is when Jinyoung finally had shut down, leaving the group chat as he did.

It was a month after when Jinyoung finally decided to sign a contract with JN Entertainment. 

Jinyoung could still recall all the kinds of pain he felt during those times. Refusing to accept only had hurt him more. He's not mad at them, he can never be. But Jinyoung was too hurt to reach out. 

Before, Jinyoung's heart broke with each of the article he had read about his members, his friends, signing to a different agency or going away; with each of his friends pushing through their own plan of carrying on after they all left their old company. It has always been like that for a couple of weeks after he had signed a new contract; after he decided to leave too, same as the others. That is what he always thought... that they all left despite their promise of staying together. But after some time, he had accepted it. When Youngjae released his first album as a solo artist; when Jackson had expanded his label well even here in Korea; when Yugyeom dropped his solo track (self-written and composed) and topped the charts for three straight weeks bagging a total of five music show wins; when Bambam made it even bigger in Thailand, going on variety shows left and right, doing solo concerts across Asia; and when Mark gained million of subscribers in his YouTube channel being one of the most talked about game streamers... Jinyoung suddenly realized that there was no pain anymore. It didn't hurt that much, not as how it used to before. In fact, he was even happy. He's happy for them, for what they've achieved and for what they've become. He was happy for then, but that's something he wasn't able to tell them. Although he wanted to, he can't push himself to do just that. Even sending a short message scared him so much. This is also why when Jaebeom was about to get discharged from his military service, Jinyoung started talking to his agency about him serving his own term. He knew that once Jaebeom got discharged, he will reach out to him. But Jinyoung isn't ready for it. Not after what he has done. He was so scared of going back. All along, Jinyoung thought that it was them who left, when in truth, it was him who had cut himself off from them completely, just because he was hurt. He didn't think what the others might have felt. He didn't think how hard it might have been for them. He only thought of his own pain. Maybe Jaebeom was right... maybe he really was selfish. With that realization... how can he ever push himself to go closer again? 

A notification sound from his phone snapped him from his thoughts. He unlocked his phone and saw a notification from YouTube. [Mark Tuan posted a video.] - it said. Jinyoung lied comfortably on the bed, back resting on the headboard. Pulling the duvet up to cover his legs up to his stomach, Jinyoung clicked on the video to start watching. He has made a personal account about three years ago for the same purpose, and this time, he's putting it again to use.

As the video plays, which was just a recorded stream of his game probably earlier, Jinyoung starts to think how odd it was again. Mark has always been one of the most quiet member in the group. Never did he think the older will be the type to do these kinds of videos, talking openly and enthusiastically to his viewers. But then again, Mark tends to be talkative when talking about the things he like. He heard the older cuss and then laugh after realizing what he just did. The way Mark laughed made Jinyoung smile a he stared on his phone's screen. He has been watching Mark's streams and other videos since three years ago yet today, he could see the slight change in the older within the two years that passed. He seems more at ease now, and more confident. He loves what he's doing and that is clearly evident. Unconsciously, Jinyoung starts to wonder if this guy is the same guy he has met years ago. Or did the years that passed make such a huge difference?

"So, if you guys want to see more of these videos, click like and subscribe if you still haven't!" Mark says, giving a thumbs up to his viewers. "See you guys next time, peace out!"Mark does his thing which is covering the camera's lens and that is where his video ends.

After clicking on the like button, Jinyoung puts his phone down and tries to sleep.

* * *

Jinyoung decided that it'll be better for him to stay in his apartment.

It has been more than a week since he got back and since he basically asked for a time out or a break from his agency ~~_(although he isn't sure if it was a sound request since he was literally in hiatus for two years)_~~. He didn't have any schedules for anything work-related and he prefers it that way. But since he also didn't prefer to rot inside his apartment, he figured he should go out once in a while. He tried going to the gym for three alternate days but everytime he goes out, there's an article posted online about him and the netizens start to speculate what his new projects are going to be. They are all seemingly excited for his _comeback_ but like what Jinyoung said, he's not yet in his right mind to start working. Not wanting an article released whenever he goes out, Jinyoung decided to avoid these circumstances by staying at home.

It was Wednesday, ~~he even needed to check the date on his phone~~ when he saw that Mark is trending in twitter. He was about to put not much thought in it since Mark usually trends in the bird app because of his streams. But then another tag was next in the trending list too. #GOT7FOREVER -this was it. Those two were the top two trends but in the list there also were #sevenornever and #got7comeback. Jinyoung's immediate reaction was surprise. It has been a very long while since they last trended, and since that phrase trended with them as well. What's happening now?

Clicking on the first tag, Jinyoung was faced with these tweets, mostly with their group photos saying _"Finally! They're complete!"_. Most tweets say the same and it took a few scrolls before Jinyoung got to that part which led the netizens into claiming that their group is now complete. There he read an article from Koreaboo with its headline saying: _After four years, GOT7's Mark Tuan is back in Korea_ _._ And he's now looking at Mark's picture, taken in the airport, with him pushing the cart which contains his luggage giving a heart to the camera. Despite the mask he's wearing, anyone could see that the blonde was smiling. Yes, he is blonde now... more like silvery gold or something or some sort of light brown kind of blonde? He's not sure but the older looks good on it. And yes, his smile... he could see a bit of his eye whiskers just above his face mask, and those shining eyes. He looks happy. Jinyoung instantly feels a tug in his heart thinking of that. 

When was the last time he saw him smile? 

Certainly not the last time they talked. Because Jinyoung could still very well recall how that last conversation had went down.

>   
>  _Mark sat with him on the foot of the slide as the older hands him his turtle egg ice cream._
> 
> _They're in the playground near the old jype building. Jinyoung remembers the first time him and Mark went here. That was when Mark was having a hard time adjusting to his new life here in Korea as a trainee, which is expected since he's a foreigner. No one was willing enough to converse with the older since he's a foreigner and that means they should talk with him in English and not a lot of trainees are confident with their English skills. Jinyoung isn't one to claim that his skills are good, but he also hated seeing how Mark isolated himself in the dorm because no one was confident enough to talk to him. So one evening, he gathered up all his courage and asked Mark to walk outside with him. "Ice cream?" This is what he utters at first, catching the older's attention as he sat on his bed. Mark was just staring at him until he talked again in broken English. "You. Me. Outside. Ice cream?" He was expecting for the worse and that is Mark to shut the door at his face but he was surprised when the older got his cap and coat and started walking towards him. There was hesitation in those brown eyes as Mark talked. "No jacket? It's cold outside." Jinyoung understood this simple sentence of course and he nods. "Yes. I get jacket. You wait? Door?" As he points at the dorm's entrance. Mark smiles at him before he nods. Jinyoung then decides that Mark looks even better when smiling._
> 
> _"Eating ice cream is really not a good time since it's still cold, Jinyoung. But... anyways..." Mark trails off, tearing the ice cream open and starts eating it._
> 
> _Jinyoung glances at the older for a few seconds before doing the same. Both of them stared at the night sky where there were no much stars. He heard Mark clearing his throat and Jinyoung knows that he'll hear a question coming._
> 
> _"So... you're mad at Jaebeom?" and there it was._
> 
> _After meeting with Jaebeom just this afternoon, Jinyoung messaged Mark about their talk and how bad he felt afterwards. That is when the older asked him to meet up for ice cream so Jinyoung agreed. Just to relieve his mind off the things which were bombarding him non-stop, he agrees to meet. After all, Mark has this sort of magical power of making his worries and problem disappear. Maybe this time, it'll work just like that._
> 
> _"Am I selfish?" Jinyoung asked Mark after he basically repeats what he has already said over their exchange of texts. "Am I being selfish here, Mark?"_
> 
> _He rarely calls the older 'hyung', especially when it's just the two of them. Mark doesn't mind it though, that Jinyoung starts to think that the older prefers it that way, all the more seeing his fond smile whenever he calls him just 'Mark'. Maybe... Mark really does have a soft spot for him. Maybe... he really does own a special place in Mark's heart, which is just fair since Mark owns his almost completely. They don't talk about it, but being a man who values action more than words, it has always been enough for Jinyoung. Even without words, he had always felt complacent on where he stood in Mark's life._
> 
> _He always had._
> 
> _Which is why he was not able to control the sudden surge of his emotions when Mark had said those words. "I'm thinking of going back home, Jinyoung."_
> 
> _The way it had struck him was far worse than how Jaebeom's words earlier had struck him. Far worse than all those he heard from all the others combined. He almost drops his ice cream, but it stayed on his hand as he stared at the ground, shocked and clearly taken aback._
> 
> _Mark starts to talk about his plan. The older says he's not signing to any agencies for the meantime and instead will work on his own channel since he's planning to open one in YouTube. He said he'll focus on his game and do some streaming just like his brother Joey. He also mentioned still working on some of his music which are unreleased yet. There's a glint in Mark's eyes as he talks about these things but Jinyoung knows there's a different glint on his as he listens to all of it. He held his tongue and didn't say anything, because he's afraid he'll start sobbing._
> 
> _Mark then cleared his throat, and his eyes darted on the older's hand on his knee. Mark waited until he looked back at him before he said it. "You should sign with JN."_
> 
> _Only Mark knows this too. He didn't tell this to anyone apart Mark and his manager of course. Since he had no plans on taking it, he didn't feel the need to share this to their friends. Jinyoung had no plans, and Mark knows that. Yet here he is telling him that he should sign with JN?_
> 
> _This realization hit him so hard. They're all done. As a group, they're all done. The members are heading onto a new path on their own, and now Mark says he's going back home. How else would they be complete? This had hurt him so much that he wasn't able to say anything even when him and Mark left the playground._
> 
> _When Mark's article dropped, Jinyoung shut himself down and left their group chat. And when Mark was about to leave, Jinyoung turned his phone off and locked himself inside his room. All the others went to send Mark off in the airport, except Jinyoung. He just cried all his tears out, counting the number of hours for that day to end... for all of this to end because it just hurts him too much._  
> 

  
When his phone buzzed, Jinyoung read Jaebeom's name. The older has sent him a text. Although he hesitated, Jinyoung still clicked the message open. 

_[Hey? Are you free tomorrow?]  
[Can we hang out with the guys? Mark just came back. Let's all meet.]_

Jinyoung feels it again... like a big wave rushing to him and his fear and panic rises, making him run as far as he can. Closing Jaebeom's message, Jinyoung composed a text message to his manager. _[I already decided hyung. Let's take a look at those scripts. Let's see if there's a project fitted for me.]_

* * *

For the next full week, Jinyoung had managed to keep himself occupied with all these scripts sent to the agency by different networks. The agency was happy about it, him finally having the initiative to start working again. His manager, he's 50% happy and 50% worried. He was glad at first because Jinyoung wanting to work again is good news, but when one time the older saw him ignoring Jaebeom's calls, his manager suddenly had an inkling as to what's going on and what really is Jinyoung's reason for suddenly changing his mind and rushing onto getting himself signed to a new drama. His manager had asked him a few times but Jinyoung didn't answer him.

Until this one afternoon, they had just finished meeting with the staffs and after he'd returned another script which he didn't like. While they were riding inside the car, Jinyoung starts to talk his thoughts aloud. "Hyung, about that last script that I handed back to the staff, it wasn't that good, but it isn't actually that bad either. Should I just accept the role?"

His manager side-eyed him while making him wear his seatbelt. "Since when did you like settling?"

Jinyoung didn't expect the question. "Well, it's not that-"

"Just give it a few days. I heard some more scripts are coming next week. Take a rest for a while."

And that's what he is avoiding... a chance of having a time-off. Jinyoung is desperate to keep himself occupied. He was about to say something when his manager suddenly instructed their driver to make a turn at this street. Jinyoung wonders where they were going, but chose not to ask. Maybe they're just going for a different route? But then he couldn't recognize the route anymore and he's positive it's nowhere near his apartment. That's when he asked already. 

"Are we going somewhere else, hyung?"

His manager took his eyes off the phone and glanced at him briefly. "I... uhm... I was thinking of eating first? Before dropping you off at your place? What do you think?"

Jinyoung mindlessly nods at this. He sits quietly for the next couple of minutes until they stopped in front of this restaurant which his manager said served the best shabu shabu. Jinyoung also midlessly nods when his manager told him that he should go ahead inside to find them a table not even questioning why there was a need for his manager to stay behind. But he just followed. 

As he walked inside and scanned the area to find a table, he was met by Jaebeom. The older was standing there, just a few feet from the counter. And when he received a message from his manager, Jinyoung already made sense of what was happening even without reading the message yet. But he still did. And in the message, his manager told him that he just felt like he needed to do this and that he's actually doing him a favor for letting him do something which he thought for so long that he can't. His manager also tells him to text him when they're done catching up and that they will fetch him from the restaurant.

"Good thing that you're here." Jaebeom says before stepping sidewards and gesturing to his left. "Let's go? The guys are waiting."

Jinyoung can't explain what exactly was he feeling as he followed Jaebeom. His emotions were heavy, but surprisingly, his footsteps were light. He wants time to stretch longer, but a part of him seems to argue, making him move his feet faster, take quicker steps behind Jaebeom until they reach the table they have occupied.

The first thing he saw was how Yugyeom stared up at him, and how the youngest's face lit up as he called him, "Hyung..." It was fast, and Yugyeom was already standing up, wrapping his big and long arms around him. "Hyung... it's been so long. Welcome back! I missed you!" And he could almost hear how the youngest sniffed against his shoulder as he hugged him. He then heard Bambam as the younger also stood up and copied Yugyeom, wrapping his arms around him, then Youngjae followed crying how he had missed him too and lastly, Jackon. "You've been so cruel, Park Gae. You've been so cruel." The four guys hugged him real tight and Jinyoung feels something bubbling up his throat and the side of his eyes were starting to burn too. All he says was _sorry_ as he hugged the guys back.

It's when they released them and while Jaebeom was tapping the guys' shoulders when his eyes crossed a pair of brown ones. One second... two... three..

"Hey." He finally heard from him. From Mark. 

Sniffing, Jinyoung greets back with a soft "Hey." too. Mark the stood up as well and walked towards him. Next thing he felt was the older's arm going behind his back, tapping it as he pulls him closer for a very brief moment before letting him go. "Welcome back."

Jinyoung feels like a thick air surrounded them and remained between them although they were standing close to each other. Mark's eyes were on him, not leaving until he responded. "Welcome back too."

Mark nods and smiles back at him before walking to return to his seat beside Jackson while Jinyoung remains standing there. If not for Jaebeom asking if they should take a seat as well, he would've stayed immobile for a few more seconds. 

He sat beside Jaebeom and Jackson started ordering for all of them. Jackson said it was Youngjae's treat since it's his payback for that shabu-shabu incident seven years ago. That was too long ago in Jinyoung's opinion and as to why Youngjae only got to pay his debt back now, despite of having too many chances to do that before, given that they were working under the same agency, Jinyoung isn't sure. As they eat, they did try to catch up with one another. Jinyoung congratulated Youngjae for getting three consecutive music show wins for his latest title song and the younger can't be more happier about it. Jackson also talked about how his label has been continuing to expand, having to talk with different agencies for partnership. Bambam also talked about his recent tour and how successful it was while Yugyeom and Jaebeom talked about releasing a new solo album of their own. Mark was then asked about his recent matters and the older said it's the usual, him streaming since he had no songs yet to release. The conversation then shifted to Jinyoung as Bambam asked if he's starring in a new drama soon.

"You're asking as if you ever watched my dramas." Jinyoung says, arching his brow at the Thai.

This earned a huge reaction from the younger. "I did watch your drama hyung!"

Jinyoung rolled his eyes this time. " _He Is Psychometric_ was six years ago, Bambam."

"NO that's not what I'm talking about! I watched all your dramas. I did watch When My Love Blooms although I was late and since then, I watched all the dramas you've starred in."

This made Jinyoung crease his brows. "Oh really?"

"Yes _really_ hyung! I did tell you I'll watch your drama if nothing overlaps with it. I watched all your dramas. I don't know about the others seated around this table but-"

And that's when everyone kept on insisting that they did watch his dramas. All of them were causing too much noise, pointing on each other telling who didn't watch what. Jinyoung watches the chaos, slightly amused that up until now, he could still cause a ruckus in their group. The chaos died down when Jackson pointed out that Mark was quiet. Then he started accusing that the older didn't watch Jinyoung's drama. 

Mark was quick to wave his hands in dismissal. "Hey, I did watch his dramas!"

"Oh yes, right he did." Bambam says. "He even commented on Jinyoung's last drama in one of his streams, you guys forgot?"

They finished their meal and Yugyeom offered driving him back to his apartment since the youngest told him that he didn't move out and is still staying with his brother at the same place so that means they live near to each other and he could drop him off. As he was taking his seatbelt off, that's when Yugyeom asked him if he could get his number from Jaebeom. Jinyoung felt a bit guilty realizing that he somehow had made Yugyeom feel like he still needs to ask his permission when he could just get it from Jaebeom without asking. So instead of saying _yes_ , Jinyoung asks for the younger's phone and saved his number there himself. "You can also give it to them... if ever they ask." He tells him before saying thank you again and getting off.

While he was eating his dinner, he decided to open twitter again and search for it. That stream Bambam was talking about where Mark had said something about his drama. Testing out a few keywords, Jinyoung was successful to find a short clip about it. Mark was playing when someone had asked him in the chat about his drama and if the older had watched it already. _"I did. I did watch it."_ Mark says in the clip. _"He was awesome as always. He was destined to be an actor."_ Mark then stared at the camera for a short bit as he says this with hsi thumbs up. _"Best actor... Jinyoungie best actor."_

His viewing was interrupted when he got a new message. It's from Yugyeom and it's in a group chat. The younger had made a group chat and he named it _Sevens_. Jinyoung closed twitter and opened the group chat.

_[YG: a new group chat. this time jinyoung hyung is with us.]_  
_[YG: Hi hyung!!!]_

_[BB: did you delete the previous one?]_

_[YG: yeah why?]_

_[BB: why didn't you just add jinyoung hyung there?]_

_[YG: mark hyung changed his number too, remember?]_  
_[YG: it's better to make a new gc. stop complaining like i'm destroying your life]_

_[JS: annoying vs annoying]_

_[BB: says annoying]_

_[JS: wait til I see you again]_

_[YG: bambam hide!]_

_[JB: jinyoung is here? jinyoung?]_

_[YJ: Hi jinyoung hyung. I hope you're still used to these kids' noise. don't mind them ㅋㅋㅋ]_

_[JB: yugyeom are you sure you added jinyoung? didn't you have the wrong number?]_  
_[JB: he isn't responding but he's online]_

And this is where Jinyoung thinks he should come in. So he typed a reply.

_[JY: I am here, hyung. Yugyeom didn't get my number wrong.]_

By just his one reply, his friends were noisy once again. It's like they haven't just met each other by the amount of the guys' chatter. Jinyoung did reply every once in a while. But as they all say goodnight to each other one by one... Jinyoung was still looking at Mark's icon which tells the the older was still offline.

* * *

Jinyoung was called in for a meeting and around the table sat his manager and him on one side, and the CEO and some of the staff members on the other. He isn't sure what the talk is going to be about exactly. He just knows that it's about his career. Maybe he'll just ask him if there's already a drama he's taken an interest of and would actually want to act in. Maybe? In his mind, Jinyoung starts to recall all those dramas whose script is somehow good in his opinion. He could pitch those in a while later when he's asked.

But when the door opened, Jinyoung didn't expect he would see Jackson along with two other men. The Chinese smiled his usual smile at him first before turning towards Woon Joon-hyung. The two of them shook hands and then Jackson sat on one of the vacant chairs.

As Jackson talks about his proposal, Jinyoung just sat there quiet. For the past couple of days that the seven of them have been talking in their group chat, the topic wa called for discussion a few times. It was brought up a few times, them going back together as a group again. But not much has been finalized. They just expressed their common want of this matter to happen, with Jinyoung responding positively saying he would like that too of course. But again, it's not like they finalized anything, or have decided on anything concrete. 

Yet, here he has Jackson offering him a contract under his label Team Wang. Jackson negotiated with Woon Joon-hyung and had touched the topic where the CEO said in this article when they first welcomed Jinyoung in their agency that they'd support him in doing what he wants, both in acting and his career as a singer. Now since JN Entertainment only houses actors, Team Wang is here to fulfill the other end. When Jackson turned to him, he had this big and hopeful eyes but they hold a certain assurance in them too. He explained that he offered the same contract to Bambam and Mark and they both signed. Since Team Wang is already partnered with Sublime and just recently with AOMG, the seven of them redebuting again as a group would be possible. This ignites a brand new hope for Jinyoung. 

Jackson was still waiting for his answer. "So... what do you say about this, Park Gae? Our Jinyoungie who is not only an actor... but also a singer, composer and dancer too. Let's bring him back shall we?"

It was all set into action- the seven of them redebuting as a group again. Jackson actually refuses to call it _redebuting_ since they're only coming back as GOT7, as who they've always been. Halfway through the planning, an article about it came out in public. Once again, their tags **#GOT7FOREVER** , **#sevenornever** and **#got7comeback** were trending and the excitement their ahgases have only pushed them to work hard and make this comeback be sooner as possible.

* * *

"It's good! Triple like!" Jinyoung says and gave him thumbs up from outside the recording room. 

Jackson was inside the booth and had just finished recording his part. They're recording one of their new songs and since it's a song he has composed and co-produced, Jinyoung was there to direct his members in singing their parts. The other members were done already and were probably in the practice room or in the cafeteria and since Jackson was the last one to record his part, he's the last one to leave too.

When the Chinese went out of the booth, Jinyoung hugged him and tapped his back as a form of saying he's done a great job. Jackson who loves hearing compliments, much more when they're from him, was happy about it. After the other producer has packed up, Jackson tells Jinyoung that they should leave too but Jinyoung says he'll stay for a while longer and will have a quick rerun of the parts recorded by the members. After making sure it's alright for him to stay behind, Jackson waves goodbye at him and leaves.

For this album, their first album after resting for four years, Jinyoung had written another song for their fans- their ahgases. It conveys the same meaning as _Thank You_ , but Jinyoung thinks this is much more meaningful to them and their fans after everything that happened and after the long wait.

_It has been a long road  
and even a longer way back  
It has been a long time of running  
and even a longer time of searching, and hoping and waiting  
But now I'm here, and here you still are  
How lucky am I to have you, my lucky star_

It is how the chorus goes and he had chosen Youngjae and Jaebeom to share the first one, and him and Yugyeom on the second one. He had Jackson and Bambam split most of the rap parts, only leaving a few lines for Mark. But at the end, he had Mark singing the last chorus. 

_It has been a long road  
but now I found my way back  
It has been a long time of running  
now you don't need to go searching, and hoping and waiting  
Because now I'm here, and here you still are  
I am so lucky to have you, my lucky star_

Jinyoung stops the song at this part, and repeats it again. How those words rolled off Mark's lips and how softly he said it... _my lucky star_. He always loved how Mark's voice sounds when he's singing. He loves it when the older raps, but he loves it more when he sings and it's very rare that he does. So now, he treasures the moment. He repeated the part over and over again, making his heart swell with the kind of feeling he had missed.

"Do I sound terrible?"

Jinyoung almost jumped hearing that. It was his instinct to turn the music off as he turns to look back at the odler and he sees him leaning on the door frame. He was wearing his coat already and Jinyoung honestly thought he had left already. "Y-you're still here?"

Mark nods. "I came back up cause I left my jacket in here." The older then eyes him. "Why are you still here anyway? If I sounded that bad, we can just record my part again tomorrow."

Jinyoung is surprised that they're talking. It's not the first time that they actually talked. That first time in the shabu-shabu restaurant counts, and all the other talks they had during meetings when they were in the first stage of planning about this album. But this will be the first time that they'll be talking... when there's only them two and no one else around. Jinyoung starts to feel awkwards but remembers he still has to clear what Mark has misunderstood.

"There's no need to record again. This is just fine." he says. 

Mark however looks at him like he's analyzing something. "You're not lying?"

He didn't mean to but Mark's expression made him laugh a bit. He stopped immediately when he noticed Mark staring more than necessary. "Uhm... no i am not. You really do sound good... hyung." Jinyoung felt shy saying that.

Mark blinked a few times before saying a small _oh_. 

Jinyoung resumes back to pretending like he's busy. He's really pretending since he has nothing else left to do, he just chose to stay behind so he could have a rerun of the members' parts and he got stucked listening to Mark's over and over again and Mark having a sense of right timing caught him doing that. Embarrassing.

He has his back turned when he heard Mark clearing his throat. "Are you done here? Are you going out now?"

Jinyoung stands and fixes the stacks of paper which contains the lyrics and arrangement of their song. He glances shortly from his shoulder as he continue with what he's doing. He's actually cleaning up this time and not pretending. "I will but... maybe later."

He heard the older hum in response but he could still feel his stare on his back. "Hmmm. But... how soon is later?"

This made him stop. His hand almost froze when he heard this question. It's the same question he had been asking for the past four years. It sure has nothing to do with how he has felt and is nowhere similar to it. It's just Mark asking him what time he's planning to go out. But, Jinyoung felt the need to give him an answer.

Putting the papers aside, Jinyoung looks back at Mark and smiles. "Perhaps now." He saw a smile in the older's lips although he didn't say anything. As Jinyoung fixes his bag, he checks on Mark again. "Are you waiting?"

Mark nods and Jinyoung asks why. 

"Because I missed something." 

When Mark answered this, Jinyoung wasn't able to respond in an instant. The two of them stared at each other for a while until Mark broke the silence by asking, "Do you want to go and grab an ice cream?"

Jinyoung felt his heart making the thumping sound with just this simple question. The way Mark asked it only made Jinyoung remember how much he has missed this, how much he has missed him. Still, Jinyoung recomposed himself and just answered with a nod and a small _"Okay"._ Before they leave, Mark reminds him to wear his jacket because it's cold outside since it's winter. 

When they left the building, Jinyoung decided to talk again just to fill the silence. 

"So..." he trails off. "It's ice cream then?" He asked Mark, making the older look at him curiously. "What you'd missed? It's ice cream?" 

A second or two or was it three that passed with Mark just staring at him before he heard him answer. "Not just the ice cream." 

Mark stares down, but Jinyoung sees that smile grazing the older's lips. 

As they walked side by side, despite the snow and how cold it was outside... Jinyoung starts to feel warmer again.

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! Annyeong!
> 
> Okay I just finished this. It's longer than I expected. But I'm glad I finished this. Not most are open to reading this kind of story, but like I said, I just needed to write these thoughts out. I'm not planning to make anyone feel sadder, this is my way of coping up. And I expressed my hope in the end. All the more now that Mark has left... I'm holding on to this hope.
> 
> To everyone who gave this a chance and chose to read this... thank you! Let us keep supporting the boys. Through and through, remember? They said it themselves, "seven or never". Let's trust in them completely. 
> 
> This concludes this fic. Thank you for reading! #GOT7FOREVER! 
> 
> <3 nicapark


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